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news

TTC On Strike

By Ron Nurwisah, Boy Reporter

2006_5_29ttc.jpg
You’ve probably already figured it out but the TTC is on strike. Metro Morning and the CBC are keeping us on top of things and they’re reporting that Bob Kinnear, the head of the TTC union are willing to comply with orders from Ontario Labour Relations Board to go back to work. He’s waiting for “the papers.”
It would be really easy for us to point fingers and assign blame. The knee jerk reaction is to blame the union for staging the strike but we’ve been hearing about turmoil between Councillor Howard Moscoe and TTC Manager Rick Ducharme. There are even rumours that the union was locked out which adds more intrigue to this morning’s events. The Star heard rumours about the strike last night and have an update here.
As of the time of this post we haven’t heard from Councillor Pitfield, the Premier or many others. No matter how long the strike goes today’s events will be an election issue, renew calls for the TTC to be turned into an essential service, and peeve off TTC riders who are already unhappy about our system.
We’ll keep an eye on the situation and will be posting on this throughout the day. And if you really really miss the system why don’t you check out some of David Topping’s (like the one pictured above)photos of TTC stations.
Update 12:13pm: We just read on the Toronto Star’s website that TTC union officials haven’t arrived at the offices of the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Tto be helpful and in case TTC union reps are lost, the offices of the OLRB are at 505 University Ave. Just North of Dundas and near the St. Patrick Subway Station (I’m sure you know where that is).

Update 1:02pm: The union has apparently rejected the ruling from the OLRB and won’t be coming back to work this afternoon. So no service during the afternoon rush hour. Everyone stay calm out there.
Update 3:19pm: GAME ON! The union is telling its workers to get back to work after the OLRB ruled that the strike was illegal (I think we knew that this morning!). Sadly TTC service won’t be completely available. Buses will start running first and expect subways to start up again later tonight.

Comments

  • mark

    Councillor Pitfield is a leftie wackjob. She has no credibility on this or any subject.
    “Wildcat strike” is doublespeak for illegal strike.
    The fact of the matter is the union has a time to strike and this isn’t it. There should be severe penalties for those involved in this action. The union should be fined a very large sum of money, and the TTC should reprimand employees for participating.

  • Snailspace

    Jeezis.
    So, what’s it gonna take to rile Torontonians up about the decrepit status of our TTC – 50 or so maintenance workers holding the city hostage and putting people’s livlihoods at risk, increasing pollution on a smog day, and costing the economy in magnitudes of millions of dollars. C’mon Toronto, get angry already! Your TTC is dying a miserable death at the hands of Union bosses, TTC bosses, and incompetent council representation!

  • http://blog.thismagazine.ca mason

    > Councillor Pitfield is a leftie wackjob. She has no credibility on this or any subject.
    Huh? Pitfield is about as neo-liberal as they come. A lefty she is not! However, I agree that she has no credibility on this or any subject.
    That said, I wonder if the mayor has to answer for anything here. As Andy Barrie pointed out on the radio this morning, TTC operations are far from smooth right now, and Miller styled himself a public transit kind of mayor.
    Of course, adequate funding from the federal government would go a long way to helping solve some problems.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstopping David Topping

    arrggg
    not only does this slow my ttc project down (though I’m going to try to get photos of a shutdown keele station today), i HAVE to go downtown today – all around downtown, in fact – and my metropass was to be today, more than any other day this year, my saviour. now i have to go bike in 34 degree weather.

  • Cam

    I think we should replace ttc workers with new employees. The TTC has been a charity long enough, paying people 20$/hr for collecting fares (something cashiers have been doing for minimum wage for years). I suggest that we offer the new positions to taxi drivers who work five times as hard and for much less money. At least they would appreciate a job that pays so well for such menial work.

  • jayseeca

    I think the TTC employees should be punished, because this is affecting everyone! Everyday, people who cannot afford cars, or the cab gouging is forced to lose money from their pocket because of an illegal strike. This is already after raising TTC fares, which is absurd. There are plenty of people out there who would be ecstatic to get those TTC jobs, and maybe the current TTC employees should be more than happy with what they get. But this is coming from a view, which is not very intelligent on the matter.
    And the fact that the union was locked out… what should be expected?? If the people it takes to run the TTC system safely and smoothly are on strike, then why should peoples lives be put in more jeopardy, and go through even more of a hassle? The doors are closed for a reason.

  • mark

    Doh, sorry when I read Pitfield I thought Janet Davis for some reason.

  • http://www.publicspace.ca/sidewalksale.htm Jonathan

    Mark: If you want to dis Janet Davis on this site, you’re going to have to go through me first.

  • Kate

    The TCC employees have none of my sympathy. In generalthey get paid alot for being rude and providing a lack lustre and at times inept service.

  • Kate

    The TCC employees have none of my sympathy. In general they get paid alot for being rude and providing a lack lustre and at times totally inept service.

  • jayseeca

    “Just last December New York City’s transit union organized an illegal strike that halted buses and subways for three days.
    In April, a judge fined the union $2.5 million (U.S.) for the strike and union leader Roger Toussaint was ordered jailed for 10 days for contempt. He was released after serving four days, for good behaviour.” – Toronto Star
    I think a similar punishment for this union sounds about right.

  • http://www.boyreporter.ca Boy Reporter

    I was going to say something similar Jonathan but you beat me to it.

  • http://brokenengine.blogspot.com brokenengine

    “The TCC employees have none of my sympathy. In generalthey get paid alot for being rude and providing a lack lustre and at times inept service.”
    I couldn’t agree more.
    Also, is there a reason why thee TTC hasn’t been designated an essential service? It’s ridiculous that these unions can hold the city hostage, so often. And I see public transit as essential as Fire/Police/Med. In a different way, obviously, but no one should have the ability to shut down a city like this!

  • emma

    Broken Engine, it’s nice that you see the TTC along the same lines of fire/police/medical services and as an essential service, but it’s certainly not funded that way.
    The last strike was in 1999. It lasted two days.

  • Sternel

    New Yorker here, who schlepped all over Manhattan during our strike last December. The fines levied on the TWU (our transit workers union) were a result of the Taylor Law, which was enacted after a paralyzing strike in 1967. It creates more controversy than anything else, honestly. There is a short and sweet write up here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_law
    …I do have a pair of nicely broken-in sneakers from December, if anyone would like to borrow them. Good luck, guys!

  • mark

    To the Janet Davis croud:
    She’s an ideologue. Sure she might support a few good initiatives, but I’ve dealt with smarter rocks.
    It will be interesting to see if she takes a stance on this that has any meat whatsoever. On one hand she’s completely in bed with the unions, and on the other if she doesn’t critisize them will her constituents be upset?
    So what’s she going to do for her constituents now? I’m betting she comes out with some half baked typical say nothing political statement.

  • JohnnyD

    “Also, is there a reason why thee TTC hasn’t been designated an essential service? It’s ridiculous that these unions can hold the city hostage, so often. And I see public transit as essential as Fire/Police/Med. In a different way, obviously, but no one should have the ability to shut down a city like this!”
    Yes there is actually… it’s not designated an essential service because it simply is not one.
    If Fire/Police/Med go on strike, people can and do die. From fire, violence, or health problems. This is sufficient to justify curtailing their right to refuse work.
    When the TTC workers go on strike, it really, really sucks. Both TTC riders and car drivers face horrible inconvenience in going about their daily routine. People are late and need to stay late at work to get things finished. It’s crap, but people don’t die.
    Death is reason enough to designate something an essential service and curtail people’s rights, inconvenience is not. If it were, then there’d be an argument for calling just about anything an essential service.
    On the other hand, the union is treating both Torontonians and the rule of law with absolute contempt, and I hope they get fined an amount that leaves Bob Kinnear crying and broken. The fare BS alone was enough reason to turf him, and I hope the response they face after today is enough for the TTC Union to do the right thing and send him packing.

  • Boy Reporter

    Dem’s fighting words Mark. For one thing, Davis is one councillor among 44 and she doesn’t sit on the TTC Committee like Moscoe or Giambrone. Is she pro-union, probably, and so are many other politicians. And her criticizing the unions won’t actually do anything.
    Davis has been doing great work on childcare which Harper seems so intent on gutting and I’ve had the personal pleasure of seeing councillor Davis work on committees and at council and I’d vote for her anyday.
    As for these smart rocks you’ve been dealing with maybe we should put them on council to replace right wing “ideologues” like Rob Ford who just last week actually voted AGAINST banners for the upcoming World AIDS conference. While we’re at it can we get rid of Case Ootes and Giorgio Mammoliti too?

  • Halifax Guy

    Ha Ha….
    Toronto doesn’t work, it sucks.

  • rek

    In other news, today starts Bike Week. Appropriate timing, no? I think this strike is the last straw. I had to walk nearly 2 hours to get to work. I think I’ll be getting a bike instead of a June metropass.
    Strikes (legal or otherwise), fare hikes, television ads in the subways, rude drivers… how is the TTC the better way?

  • mark

    Yes, Rob Ford is a complete tool. I agree.
    I also happen to agree that Harper is ruining childcare… that doesn’t mean I like Davis.
    But really, this argument is for another place.

  • devina

    Well, today appears to have been a good day to call in sick. Or bad. Should’ve checked the damn news this morning.

  • http://brokenengine.blogspot.com brokenengine

    I obviously know that what are now essential services are MORE essential than the TTC.
    However, if we’re serious about wanting to reduce smog and emmision levels, and considering the economic impact that a TTC strike has on this city, I think the TTC SHOULD be considered an essential service. I didn’t know the definition of “Essential” = If curtailed, people die.

  • hey

    Anyone that takes part in a wildcat strike should be fired. The Reagan doctrine is the best way fo dealing with these kinds of issues.
    Can easily find a few janitors and mechanics, and for much less than they’re paying the current schlubs. None of the jobs at the ttc are worth more than $15/hr, and the fare takers should be getting minimum wage.
    One more example of why government run services are a bad idea. Multiple private companies running transportation services wouldn’t be crippled by a strike, and are much less likely to be unionised in the firstplace.

  • Anticorium

    Damn you, TTC union. Don’t you realize that if some blog comment poster on the Internet has a low-paying job that sucks, you have to give up on trying to get a better deal for your members? It’s a race to the bottom and we’re all supposed to be in it together! Get with the program!

  • Anticorium

    “Ha Ha….
    Toronto doesn’t work, it sucks.”
    You listen to this guy, by the way. If there’s anywhere that knows how to run a transit system, it’s Halifax, I assure you. The buses run like clockwork, three of them every hour, almost 11 hours out of the day unless it’s the weekend.

  • doggedly

    So the letters “TTC” now stand for:
    Take The Car

  • rocco

    straphanger’s association — get one

  • http://www.bombtea.com matt

    I have my own theory on this most recent TTC strike, and it involves the Weather Channel. Just yesterday I was coming home from work, waiting at Kipling Station for my bus, when I overheard two TTC drivers.
    Driver 1: Hey, do we have air conditioning?
    Driver 2: No, no a/c.
    Driver 1: They said we’d have air conditioning.
    Isn’t it convenient that on the hottest day of the year, so far, the TTC union bosses launch an illegal strike. It’s all about the a/c. Oh, and my new acronym would have to be “Toronto Transit Crisis”, cuz that’s what it is.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwtJLkN3qEI Ricky

    MTV crushes TTC streetcar.

  • ariel

    “When the TTC workers go on strike, it really, really sucks. Both TTC riders and car drivers face horrible inconvenience in going about their daily routine. People are late and need to stay late at work to get things finished. It’s crap, but people don’t die.”
    They do on a two-hour bike ride in ‘feels like’ 42 degree weather. Or at least I would.

  • rek

    The only way for the TTC to be worse would be if ‘multiple private companies’ were to take it over. Privatization of public services always results in higher costs to consumers, lower quality services, obnoxious levels of advertising (with no impact on the cost of your fare). Private companies serve their shareholders, not the transit users, and they will cut every corner they can to make a profit. And if you think the TTC drivers are crappy now, think how less motivated they’ll be put up with your complaints at $7.85/hr.

  • Michael

    I agree. Competition alone can’t make everything better. Actually, the private companies that serve London, England (to reference an inexcusably long comment on another post) act as little monopolies in the areas that they have exclusivity over.
    But…
    What if the private companies had to be co-ops like MEC? Then they would serve their riders.
    Just a beginning of a thought…

  • disparishun

    Well, we do have private companies — they’re called taxis. Problem is they tend to have only one rider.
    Idea: what about “share taxis”, aka jitneys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Share_taxi)? They act as privately-run multiple-person transport, they’re nimbler and more flexible than public transit, and they act as a parallel not as a replacement.
    Like lots of people, I’ve taken them in a few other cities, and often wondered why Toronto hasn’t tried this. In the U.S. they tend to be mostly for things like getting to the airport, which is less useful — I’m thinking share taxis that congregate at subway stops and other hubs, and follow pretty well-defined routes.
    Why not? What would city council have to do to make this happen? And is it a good idea?

  • Matt

    Jitneys! We need jitneys!

  • Brad Cambel

    Thanks Mayor Miller, the Commission and the TTC union. Job well done. You managed to pull it off. The union saved it’s high paid hourly rates and pensions. The city saved about $10,000,000 in wages and associated cost for a day and the People of Toronto got shafted, not to mention the health risk people were exposed to. These WildCat strikes need to be Outlawed like they do it in the States. Heavey Fines and Jail time for the union leaders are in order. The Mayor needs to be held accoutable too. That was unfair and cruel for the unkowning public. Shame on you Miller and your Union buddies. Brad

  • Brad Cambel

    Thanks Mayor Miller, the Commission and the TTC union. Job well done. You managed to pull it off. The union saved it’s high paid hourly rates and pensions. The city saved about $10,000,000 in wages and associated cost for a day and the People of Toronto got shafted, not to mention the health risk people were exposed to. These WildCat strikes need to be Outlawed like they do it in the States. Heavey Fines and Jail time for the union leaders are in order. The Mayor needs to be held accoutable too. That was unfair and cruel for the unkowning public. Shame on you Miller and your Union buddies. Brad

  • http://ttcrider.ca Sean Lerner

    Business was down 30% yesterday over at ttcrider.ca. I am suing the TTC for these losses.

  • Little Boy Blue

    Michael,
    I’m actually living in London, England at the moment (I check Torontoist for my “back home” news) and the system works fairly well. Yes – it’s fragmented into private monopolies, but for the most part they provide a decent service, as they can easily lose their patch. I live in South East London, where the private contractor (Connex) lost their franchise last year – for a service that was considerably superior to GO (the equivalent), but still deemed unacceptable.
    Saying that – a monthly travelcard/Metropass sets me back a cool £100 ($220), but the price is fixed across all the contractors, and was about that high before privatisation. I guess you get what you pay for! You’ll never get subway extensions or world-class service at $2.75 a ride.
    I’ll restrain my blue views on Davis & childcare for another forum… :O)

  • Michael

    I agree completely LBB. When I lived over there, I found virtually no difference between companies and always got around hassle free. I guess thats why I’m not so PPP phobic. It was easily the best system I’ve ever been on. It’s damn expensive, but isn’t everything in London?
    But, I’m not positive that even London’s infrastructure improvements were funded by the pricey fares. Anyone got better info on this?

  • Little Boy Blue

    I think it’s a mix – a lot of the fare admittedly goes towards keeping a Victorian infrastructure from crumbling, but I doubt the recent line extensions wouldn’t have been possible without the hefty fares – and most of the rolling stock is now new.
    It’s pricey, but the only real “alternative” is to drive, and there’s a Congestion Charge of $20 a day to drive your car into the city centre – a rough equivalent would be border of Roncesvalles/St. Clare/Sherbourne (there’s a heavy West London bias). If people think the 407 charges are criminal, imagine trying to bring that in place!

  • Underdog

    I am a TTC employee. I am a union member. I am one of “those” people that picketed Monday. Had a good long read at all of your comments and suggestions, and listened to your painful stories of how you and others were crippled that day. I also noted that no-one has commented beyond last week and today is June 6th. Odd that everyone has gone back to their daily lives and commutes and nothing is left to say. Perhaps the issues have been swept under the rug, just like ours have by the Commission? I cannot believe the short-sightedness of the general public. Some folks have no idea what our issues are and yet feel the need to crucify us on the job. Ignorance. Every job has different levels of responsibility, danger. Is it my fault that I am paid well because my union over the years has bargained on my behalf for the work we do? Is my time away from family and friends, weekend work, holiday work, night work, split work, on and on and on not valuable to me? I chose to be here, and I want to be compensated for my time. Don’t be fooled into thinking our jobs are easy and we should be paid minimum wage. We sometimes deal with the same problems the police see, and if you can’t believe that then I welcome you to shadow a bus driver or streetcar driver for a day. It was regrettable that many people had to endure a stop in service, and I showed up for work but could not cross the picket line. We will most likely not be declared an essential service because the commission would have to pay it’s workers more money, give more holidays and spend more money to level the service to international standards. We have been neglected for years and it’s starting to show. Our once world class transit system is in shambles. “Ghettoized” by years of underfunding and provincial and federal neglect. This trickles down to the workers. This was simply a means to an end. You will all get over it just like the strikes in the past. This proves you need us and that we need you, and only together we can right the wrongs of the higher ups that collect fatter salaries at the expense of letting time tick by with minimal action. I am proud of the work I do. Don’t trivialize it with thoughtless solutions and rude comments that add nothing to the situation.

  • Student from middle school.

    I have considered the TTC union’s situation and I support your cause. Doing research on Bob Kinnear, I have reazlized that his goals have a great significance. Even though higher authorities have considered this illegal, it was a necessary act. Researching on Kinnear’s past, he too has worked as a TTC employee, therefore, already acknowledging the fact that he has gone through the same experience. He has been through challenges like everyone else and has come from a harsh past. He made a choice, a choice to fight for his colleagues, even though his friends and family will have to suffer for this, he knew that something had to be done. Some citizens of Toronto do not know the true meaning of being a respectful person, therefore, someone, causing this to befall themselves for good reason. This is a simple thing the union fights for, and yet, everyone do not feel empathy. They don’t know what it’s like to work under the current conditions. The union deserves support. I also take the TTC to and from school, but their cause is a reasonable one. Please find it in your hearts to know what they’re going through.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstopping David Topping

    I think the issue that a lot of people have, Underdog, or at least the issue I have, is that I was given absolutely no warning to prepare for what happened. The union would have had many more people side with them if they’d explained what the issue was in advance to the public instead of striking out of nowhere on a disgustingly hot Monday morning.
    But no, I don’t think your jobs are easy at all. I’ve met a lot of great TTC employees (especially during the project I’m doing right now), and many seem to be doing a great job.
    “This proves you need us and that we need you.”
    I completely agree. But, to be honest, many of us are in situations where we’re trying to “right the wrongs of the higher ups that collect fatter salaries at the expense of letting time tick by with minimal action.” That’s how bureaucracies function – the rich get richer and do as little as possible to get by. But the TTC should be different, and hopefully things’ll change.
    And you should be proud of the work you do. Last Monday we all saw how incredibly important it really is. I think you have to understand, however, that people have a good reason to be pissed off about what happened.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstopping David Topping

    P.S., “Student From Middle School,” thanks for your post, but I’m having a hard time understanding what you’re really trying to say; it’s all muddled with a bunch of nice-sounding words and sentences that add up to nothing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using simple language to get your point across.
    I’m just trying to understand where you’re coming from. Are you saying that Kinnear has a right to complain since he used to be an employee himself? Why does that give his goals greater “significance” than those of the TTC – I mean, isn’t it a given that the union leader is acting with the interests of the employees in mind?

  • Sudent from middle school

    To Mr.David Topping. Yes, Kinnear has the right to complain because he probably has experienced much of the same abuse, but also, his ultimate goal, or purpose, is figthing for the union. His goals are not greater, they’re simply more aggresive and more noticable by others. He made many sacrifices and put himself on the line and were prepared to defend the union. But, despite this fact, many people still feel tension about what had happened, and the people just doesn’t seem to understand.